He was instrumental in envisioning, exploring, and establishing the route of what became the John Muir Trail from Yosemite Valley along the crest of the Sierra Nevada to Mount Whitney He was born in San Francisco, California, on July 20, 1870, the second son and the fifth of seven children[nb 1] of Hannah Marks,[1] an influential San Francisco educator and civic worker and Gershom Mendes Seixas Solomons.

[nb 2] He had relocated to San Francisco from New York City during the Gold Rush, and founded Congregation Emanu-El in 1854.

"The idea of a crest-parallel trail came to me one day while herding my uncle's cattle in an immense unfenced alfalfa field near Fresno.

[5][6][nb 4] Her mother, a published writer and singer, was born into a family with deep New England roots that trace back to the Rev.

They lived at a house he named the Flying Spur,[10] which he built on 20 acres (81,000 m2) of land that juts out over the Merced River Canyon.

In his explorations, Solomons correctly determined the courses of the upper branches of the San Joaquin River.